2014 Toyota Sienna Xle on 2040-cars

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2014 Toyota Highlander

Midsize crossovers like the Toyota Highlander tend to play a thankless role in the life of today's modern family.
That's really too bad. With the ability to hold several hyperactive kids and tons of cargo while keeping everyone safe and comfortable in all kinds of climate conditions day in and day out, they're true heroes in the lives of hundreds of thousands of families across the country. Yet their car-apathetic owners often immediately forget about them as soon as their work is done. And nearly all midsize crossovers are thoroughly ignored by enthusiasts whose eyes begin to glaze over at first mention of the phrase "third row."
Toyota is looking to soften the blow somewhat by giving its midsize crossover, the Highlander, a big redesign for the 2014 model year. With a bold new look, updated suspension and a refreshed interior focused on comfort and convenience, Toyota aims to make the Highlander sportier to drive and more striking in appearance, because, as the marketing team explains, "families are going places and they want to get there in style."

Recharge Wrap-up: Q50 Hybrid video, Iran's biodiesel weed

A new video from Infiniti showcases the Q50 Hybrid's kinetic energy recovery technology, borrowed from Formula One. The video details what is going on inside both the Q50 Hybrid and the racecar when it gathers energy to store for later use, offering better performance than an internal combustion engine alone. In the Q50 Hybrid, that electric energy helps the car accelerate from 0-60 in 4.9 seconds. The video also serves to highlight the relationship between racing innovation and performance and efficiency improvements in production vehicles. See the video above. The 2015 Toyota Prius C has been named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The compact hybrid, updated for the 2015 model year, has been upgraded from a "poor" to "acceptable" rating in the small overlap crash test, placing it on the Top Safety Pick list. Beginning in the 2016 model year, cars will have to score a "good" rating on the test to make the list, which means further improvements will be necessary if Toyota wants the Prius C to maintain its safety status with the IIHS. Read more at Green Car Reports. A couple in Tennessee have been found guilty of scamming the state in a fake biodiesel scheme. John and Lisa Brichetto's Northington Energy LLC received a state loan to produce biodiesel in 2011, but the facility never started production and was later foreclosed upon. In addition to the $142,215 the Brichettos defrauded from Tennessee, the state also invested in utilities and roads, while the US Department of Agriculture also paid for site improvements. Read more from the Times Free Press. Researchers in Iran have developed a way to make biodiesel from a weed. Scientists at the Islamic Azad University have created two liters of biomass for biofuel from flixweed. Flixweed, also called herb-Sophia and tansy mustard, is a non-edible weed that grows in various climates with little to no effort. It was found to contain 22 percent oil and fatty acids, and the biomass contains oxygenated chemical components. "This issue is important because the atomic oxygen in the fuel of a car directly cuts exhaust and the dangerous carbon monoxide and cancerous particles suspended in air," says Mehdi Alami, a chemistry graduate working on the project. Read more at Press TV.

This '59 Cadillac is now on display at Toyota's museum in Japan

The Toyota Automobile Museum is different from a lot of other automaker collections in one very interesting way: It doesn't focus solely on Toyota's own automobiles. While the home team is certainly well represented, the love is spread to plenty of non-Toyota brands and vehicles that are significant to automotive history. And that permanent collection now includes the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible you see here. Yes, the '59 Caddy has the biggest tail fins ever, which makes it measurably significant. You still wouldn't expect to see it in a museum in Japan, though. After updates to the facility and its exhibits finish early next year, the 67-vehicle collection will also include such greats as a Renault 5 (known here as the Le Car), a '64 Ford Mustang, an Audi Quattro, a first-gen Honda Insight, and a Lotus Elite. Someone over there has good taste. You can visit the Toyota Automobile Museum the next time you're in Nagakute City, which is right outside Nagoya. We're booking our tickets now. Related Video: Cadillac Toyota Automotive History cadillac eldorado